EP. 11: Making Everyday Magic in Life and Love with Julana Dizon
- odettecoronel
- Dec 10
- 32 min read
Updated: Dec 16
There is magic in living a multifaceted life. Your life was never meant to be one thing. We can be mothers, and at the same time, we can be actresses, models, and animal activists all in one. It is possible, as long as we design our lives with intention and learn how to make everyday magic. This week’s guest knows how to do exactly that, and we’re going to pick her brain to find out how you can design a magical, multifaceted life too.
Julana Dizon is a Los Angeles–based model, actor, and TV host known for her vibrant personality and adventurous spirit. She began her career in 2010 as a model, and after being fortunate enough to travel the world and work with some of her favorite brands, she later expanded into TV/commercials and hosting. From celebrity interviews to red carpets to live talk shows and soap operas, she's always chasing the next fun opportunity. And as a new mom with a passion for family adventures, she believes in a work-life blend and encourages women and moms to dream big while embracing everyday magic.
In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Julana about how she’s making everyday magic in life and love. Julana has to make some tough decisions about her career, her kids, and her life in general. She always knew that she wanted to design and live out her life with intention, but logistical roadblocks come along when you’re actually living that life. Through it all, Julana has learned to trust her gut and lean into intentionality when it comes to choosing her life paths. Tune in to hear how Julana blends her work life and her family life, and makes it work no matter where she is in the world.
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YouTube: @JulanaDizon
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Transcript: EP. 11: Making Everyday Magic in Life and Love with Julana Dizon
Odette: Welcome back to Life and Love by Design. Today I am joined by someone who embodies Adventure, creativity, and Heart, Los Angeles-based model actor, TV host, and mom, Julianna Deon. I. Hey, Ana. So hi. Hi. So from celebrity interviews to red carpets to live, talk shows and soap operas, she's always chasing the next fun adventure.
And as a new mom with a passion for family and adventures, she believes in a work life blend and encourages women and moms to dream big while embracing everyday magic. Julianna, I'm so excited to have you here.
Julana: Me too. Like I [00:03:00] said before, I, I mean we've known each other for so long, but through Instagram I feel like I've kept up with you and you've kept up with me, but your website and all the work that you do is incredible.
So I'm honored to be here with you, but I also at the same time feel like I should interview you 'cause you acknowledge inside your head.
Odette: Oh my goodness. Thank you for saying that. But, yeah, I feel the same. We, we met a few years back and, um, I've been following you on Instagram and I've loved to see you blossom both professionally and personally in your life.
I've been kind of watching that journey and it's been, it's been wonderful. So congratulations on all of the different things that have been going on in your life, which I'm sure we're gonna get into. but before we get into any of the deep stuff or any of. Of that, I like to start with something just light and fun, just for fun, and I know that you love.
To travel and you love adventures. So imagine that you and I had to host some kind of wildlife adventure. [00:04:00] Where are we going and what is the vibe?
Julana: We're going to the Galapagos Islands.
Odette: Ooh,
Julana: the vibe is, tropical, but adventure. So you definitely need your hiking.
Odette: Okay. But
Julana: also maybe a bathing suit. I think it's just a fun place.
I mean, the Galapagos is one of those places that's like known for their wildlife and the amount of animals you can see there is insane. So I think the vibe, like if I were to make a Pinterest sport about it would be like hiking boots, bathing suit, rain gear, camera. Mm.
Odette: I love that. Have you ever been?
Julana: No, I've never been.
That's on my list.
Odette: I love that. I love that. You know, full disclosure, I am not super outdoorsy. So like, um, if there's a hotel nearby, which I don't think that there are many in the Galapagos camping. No, I'm not, I'm not big into camping. I mean, I've done it. My, my, my girls were in Girl Scouts and, we've done it, but I don't.
I [00:05:00] don't love sleeping outdoors, but I do love nature and I do love, you know, animals. So I would love to go just to, just to observe all those amazing animals. So cool.
Julana: So we'll throw a luxury resort on the Pinterest list.
Odette: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Then I'm totally in. So cool. So I know that you started modeling back in 2010, and then eventually you expanded and into acting and hosting and doing all sorts of things.
What was that transition like? How did you go from. Starting in the beginning, which I think actually in the beginning you were doing something completely different and then the, the transition into the entertainment industry.
Julana: Yeah, so I was in a totally different field. I'll give you kind of the short, condensed version of my career journey.
But I, I went to Florida State, I studied biology. I. A degree in biology and chemistry. I worked with an animal training company. We trained exotic animals and we used to do [00:06:00] those education shows. Uh, you might've seen at like some theme parks where they'll have the birds fly onto the stage and then they'll talk about the bird.
Odette: Um,
Julana: so I did that for a couple years and while I was doing that, I was a little bit torn 'cause I was like working my dream job, but I really wasn't. Making any money, which is very common for when you work with animals. You do it 'cause you love it. Um, but on the side, I, I had always been a dancer in my past, so I was working at Busch Gardens with the animals and I ended up auditioning for a show.
At Bush Gardens and I got into it. So I, that was kind of my transition into like show business. And then I got with Bus Gardens Entertainment, I was doing a lot of stuff with them. I eventually left the animal company and was full-time, like I was dancing, I was stilt walking, I was doing hosting. Oh wow.
Doing like all kinds of crazy stuff and it was so much fun. And then somewhere in that mix I also started. Modeling and funny story, my first modeling agency that I [00:07:00] ever found was off Craigslist, which I don't know if I would recommend that now, but yeah, that's kind of creepy actually. Well, back in the day, they were like, yeah, it was like, the posting didn't seem weird, but it just, when I emailed them, they ended up being a legit modeling agency.
Okay. Good. Good. I'm glad it worked out. Yeah, that was pretty cool. Yeah, and then I was kind of doing the blend of like theme park performing and modeling for like two or three years, and then I got really busy with modeling, so that kind of took over and became my career. And after three years doing that in Florida, I had kind of done like there's a lot of work in Florida, but there's also a ceiling for.
The brands that go there, I'd kind of done all the brands that go to Florida, so I went overseas. I went to South Africa for three months on a modeling contract, and then that's where I really started getting into TV commercials because they call Cape Town kind of like the Miami of the other side of the world because it's always got great weather.
So a lot of the European countries will go there to shoot [00:08:00] their commercials during the winter time. So I started doing TV commercials there, and then from there I decided to move to la and then when I moved to LA, that's really where I like jumped into it more. Got an agency specifically for acting. So I was doing modeling TV commercials, and then I was kind of at this point where I was like, well, there's also acting and there's also hosting out here, which I've never tried, but.
I thought I could get into hosting a lot faster because for hosting, you just really have to be confident and practice your on-camera skills. You know, acting is a whole different thing. Usually lot, lot more goes into acting, right? Yeah. Memorizing lines and, yeah. And there's so much, like a lot of other stuff.
Yeah.
Odette: Mm-hmm.
Julana: So I started doing hosting. I found a great school, a great training program for hosting, and that's kinda how I got into that. but yeah, now I kind of do. All of them, you know, as they come because not one category is ever super busy all year round. So I feel like now I have a nice blend of [00:09:00] doing all the things
Odette: right.
Yeah, that's, you've had so many adventures, my goodness. I didn't realize that you started off by modeling in South Africa. That's really cool is do you find that it's, I'm sure it is extremely different, but how different is it from LA and modeling here in the US?
Julana: It was actually, I loved being there. I loved Cape Town.
I always described Cape Town as like a. Cheaper, more beautiful version of Los Angeles. it's like you go there, everybody is international, but everybody is super nice. The exchange rate is really low, so you could go out to a nice dinner when I was there, you could go out to a nice dinner for like $30 instead of like $250.
Wow. Um, and then it was kind of just this time in my life where there's a lot of international like models that go there for the season and. It was just fun. It was the first time that I really was like away from home, living on my own, meeting [00:10:00] international people. And I met a lot of people that they just do that.
Like, some models will just go from country to country every three months, and that's kind of like how they do their career. Like they'll be in Milan for three months. They'll be in Cape Town for three months. They'll go to, I don't know, Germany for three months, and they kind of just do that. For years.
Odette: Yeah. Yeah. That sounds like a lot of fun, but I'm sure that it's not easy. It's, it's a, it's, there's a lot involved to it, and one of the things that come to mind just in, not just the modeling industry, but I think. The, acting industry, entertainment industry in general is so much emphasis is also placed on your image and performance and appearance and perfection, how you're so grounded, like I see you and you're so, you're very grounded and, and seem very aligned with who you are and your values and all of that.
How have you been able to maintain who you are and just a healthy sense of self-esteem and who you are in your [00:11:00] values while. The pressure of being in front of the camera and being in that industry?
Julana: Yeah, that's a good question. I think a lot of it has to do with kind of from where I started. You know, I didn't go into life.
Thinking that I wanted to be in this field. I kind of went into life with a whole different plan. You know, I was very school focused. I was very like, this is what I wanna do. And then also, like having that, having my academic background, I know I always had something to fall back on. I feel like that's kind of been a big part to help me stay grounded.
I've never really gotten caught up in the whole image and like all the things that people associate with modeling,
Odette: like
Julana: the dieting and the like. I don't know, the crazy workouts and stuff that you would see like the Victoria Secret models doing. I also think that the category that I work in, which would be like commercial lifestyle modeling, is a lot more chill.
Like I'm not, I'm about one inch too short to do high fashion, and so. [00:12:00] From that I automatically, when my career started, I would just do a lot of commercial brands. So they always want like smiley lifestyle. They just want happy, more natural and yeah, more natural stuff. So I was lucky in the fact that I never got any pushback from any agents telling me like, you are too big or you're too thin, or you need to do this, or, you know, whatever things they might tell models.
I never had any pressure like that. I also. I kind of have just had this like confidence in knowing what, uh, what jobs and directions that I book in and kind of like doubling down on the things that are working.
Odette: So it sounds like you were really clear on the kind of work that you wanted to do. So not, not only did you not feel the pressure from your agents or o other people, but you also were clear on the lane that you wanted to kind of stay in, [00:13:00] which helps.
Yeah. Because you weren't trying to be something that you weren't or fall into a certain box.
Julana: And I will say when I started, I, there was a little bit of that, you know, I kind of did try to do like the high fashion stuff and when I would look at my pictures, I would realize too, I'd be like, this doesn't look great, this looks great.
And the, you know, the stuff that I was getting booked for, like I said, was the smiley, the natural people like that kind stuff. So. Yeah, I, I definitely did try a couple different things out in the beginning. Like, I, obviously you wanna do Vogue, you wanna do all the cool stuff, like when you start modeling.
Mm-hmm. But then after a while, like, I remember people used to ask me like, well, what are you gonna do after modeling? And I was like, well, I, I. I think I can just do it forever. Because what I saw was these lifestyle campaigns where first you're like, you're the young girl on the beach, and then you're the young mom and then you're mom, and then you're the woman at the luxury resort getting outta the car, and then you're the grandma.
So I think if you're like, [00:14:00] really like in commercial modeling, you can do that for your entire life. It's just like acting like they need actors that are all different ages, all different looks, all different shapes. And the same is kind of true for commercial modeling.
Odette: Yeah, and I think especially nowadays, there's a lot more opportunity than there used to be, even as you grow older and you evolve and just looking for more diverse.
Looking people and also different sizes and things like that. I think there's a little bit at, at least from compared to how it used to be, from an outsider's perspective, it seems like it's a little bit, a little bit better. Mm-hmm. In terms of who you're seeing on screen and commercials and, and just in movies and in general.
And even for different brands and things like that.
Julana: Yeah. The inclusivity is off the charts.
Odette: Yeah. Yeah. So. You are a mom now and, and a wife of course. How do you stay grounded? And you've mentioned that work life blend, which I love that term, [00:15:00] the blend rather than not just, not balance, but blend. How do you stay grounded and, and are able to kind of maintain that blend with your career and your, your role as a mom and all of that.
Julana: It's been really challenging, but I listen to a lot of self-help books and authors, so you, I really look for education and guidance like in books. and I did the Work Life blend was something that I read in a book and I was like, this is genius because your whole life you hear about work-life balance, work life balance, but really like that is impossible.
Odette: Yeah.
Julana: The idea of a work life blend is that. You're blending your life and your work, and it's not always gonna be the same. You know, if you think of balance, you're like, okay, every day is gonna be the same and everything is gonna be balanced, but that's not realistic. Yeah. With a blend, I think of my life more as like, okay, some weeks might be really crazy and I might have 10 auditions and I might have to have a nanny for most of the week, and then other weeks I might not have any work to do and I [00:16:00] might be able to be home with my daughter five days a week and just spend really good quality time with her.
So what I try to do and how I've kind of set up my life now is I have. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays are kind of like my working days, and I have clients that I work with on those days. scheduled every week, and then Mondays and Fridays I try to keep just as like mom days. So I'll spend the whole day with my daughter.
I'll really like lean into that for the day. I'll try not to do hardly any work, maybe just a few emails, but I really focus on being the best mom I can be. And I've also been okay with saying no to a lot of stuff. Like I'm definitely not working at the level that I was working at before I had my daughter, but.
My whole life, I've always wanted to be a mom, so it was hard, but I had to keep talking to myself and be like, you are living your dream right now. Yes. And they're only young for [00:17:00] five years. I don't wanna cry. I, it's gonna make me emotional. Um. It's so true. You know, I was like, I would rather say no to these opportunities that will come in the years, in the future years than say Yes and work a bunch right now and miss these young years with my daughter.
So that was just a conversation I always had with myself and really like hooked onto that. And I've been in the practice of saying no to jobs and putting boundaries on the times that I work and. Like I said, it was hard at first, but I've gotten to a place where I'm really happy with it and it's a nice blend.
Odette: Yeah. Oh my goodness. That really resonates with me. I love the term blend and you're right, it's not always gonna look perfectly balanced. It. It's about this is what's working right now and also deciding this is all important to me. My career is important, my family's important, my child is important, but right now I wanna [00:18:00] prioritize.
While she's little, spending time with her, while still maintaining your career and not losing yourself, but you are also like valuing this time with her, which you're right, it goes so quick. Yeah, it goes so fast. My three, how do you
Julana: know how old is your daughter now?
Odette: Oh my goodness. Well, my oldest is 26 and just got married.
God, you, you, you actually never met her. And then Olivia, my middle daughter, the one that, you know, she's 22, she graduated college already. And, and my youngest is 21. And it's so important to, you know, spend that time with them and go so quickly. It's very valuable what you're doing. And also not lose yourself.
[00:19:00]
Julana: Yeah. And that was the thing too. I mean, the, the word priority is a good. Pinpoint word, because I know that being a mom is my priority, but at the same time, like you said, I was very conscious of the fact, like while I was pregnant about not losing myself. that's why I didn't want to stop working altogether because I didn't wanna have to pick up from zero.
But I also didn't wanna work too much that I was never home. So that's really why I feel like I've found a good. Blend there, like I'm still actively working on my career. I still do commercial [00:20:00] auditions. Mm-hmm. Um, but I don't really do any theatrical stuff right now and I don't really do any hosting stuff right now.
Um, so I'm pretty much just doing like modeling and commercials and I'm still actively like working on my portfolio. Like I'll still do photo shoots and stuff like that, but I'm not saying yes to every job, and I'm much more conscious of my time and how much my time is worth. Yeah. Yeah.
Odette: And you know, it's important to remember, and as an older mom, I can, I can tell you there's no right or wrong, right?
You do what's best for you in the moment, and you get to decide and you get to change your mind. You know, each year as time goes on. And I. I, you know, my children are grown now, but I feel like I still have so much to offer and so much going on. I'm still so excited about life. So it's not like life is over, you know, when the kids grow up and then, you know, you're old.
And yes, I'm older, but I still have stuff to offer and everything. So, but you get to decide how much you want to, you know, do now, [00:21:00] and how much you, you know, you wanna just kind of wait for the right time. You get to decide, which is pretty cool. I
Julana: look up like, I look up to women like you as my mom, inspiration because Oh, you, I can see like you are still doing big things.
You're chasing your dreams. So I always have that in the background. But yeah, just trying to find, yeah, a blend.
Odette: Yeah. Thank you for saying that. Yeah. Let you know life is exciting and we're constantly growing and learning and evolving, and I think what's important to remember with our children is that.
Developing that relationship from the time they're young, instilling values in them and continuing that relationship. Because one thing that has been a big like aha moment for me as a mom is they're little for such a short time, but most of the relationship that we're gonna have with them is them being adults.
So we have to make sure that we're that relationship, it starts when they're children and it continues to evolve and change as they grow and evolve and change. Which [00:22:00] is, which is, you know, which is really cool, I think. Yeah. And you're, you know, I think you're a great role model for, for your daughter right now.
Okay. She's so cute.
Julana: I know. I genuinely am excited for like, all stages of life. Like, I, I never thought I would really like the baby stage as much as I liked it until I became a mom. But I was always excited for like, making school lunches and packing bags and like going, going back to school shopping. I don't know. I just feel like I can see all the different stages ahead of me and I'm excited for them all, but I'm also like trying to appreciate and hang on to the one that we're in right now. Mm-hmm. Because I know it go.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You wanna cherish that. I wanna go back to the word confidence that you, you know, you used it before and you, you, you are very self-assured and you seem very confident in, you said you were confident in your choices in what you wanted to do even early on in your career, which the type of work that you wanted to do. What about women? What would you say to women that are kind of struggling and doubting themselves and feeling not enough [00:23:00] or losing that sense of self-worth? Where can they find that or how can they tap into that? Just thinking about your own experience and your ability to be able to have that confidence. I think your intuition and your gut feeling. And this is something that like I've, I've also been practicing a lot because once I became a mom it was like everything shifted. Like everything I thought I knew about myself turned into something else, and now I'm trying to re-figure it out. But I've personally been trying to practice, like always following my intuition because you know, when something pops up.
You'll get a feeling like you'll know the answer and then your brain will try to like talk you out of it or convince you of something else, or you'll second guess it and you'll go back and forth with yourself. So I think following your gut feeling, like my mom always told me to from the time I was little, she said, always trust your gut.
Which I think is a really important piece of advice for women, especially. I feel like we do have like a [00:24:00] special gift for feeling.
Odette: Mm-hmm.
Julana: Things that are right and wrong, but even with figuring out what you might be interested in, where you want your life to go, like if you think about yourself in scenarios, one of them will feel good,
Odette: you know, or
Julana: practice that.
Like I said, I listen to a lot of self-help books, a lot of books, manifesting and creating your dream life, and one of the exercises that we do is like, close your eyes if there's a question that comes up. Do you wanna go to Africa for two months? Close your eyes. Picture yourself saying yes and like being there and doing the thing and see how it feels.
And then picture yourself saying no and say, and it could be different further 'cause maybe some people love to travel, maybe some people don't love to travel. So I've used that a lot and just kind of seeing how it feels in my body and then trying to like lean into and go with those answers instead of let my brain talk myself out of it.
Odette: Hmm. Yeah, so it's trusting your [00:25:00] own gut instinct. It's really pausing and checking in with yourself. And really our, our body is an antenna for everything and our body sends us signals and messages, so we just need to kind of slow down enough to listen to that and see what it feels like.
Julana: Yeah, that's.
Odette: And it's, it's also, I think, of confidence is about really trusting yourself.
Mm-hmm. Trusting yourself to kind of have your own back. And it's not so much that you're confident in what you're doing necessarily. Like if you've done something for the first time, you're not necessarily very confident in it because you're, you know, you're not good at it yet, but. You trust yourself.
You're confident in your ability to do your best or to be okay no matter what, or to be willing to make a mistake or to be uncomfortable, or to fail or to be embarrassed. Like you have to kind of trust [00:26:00] yourself enough to be able to tolerate those things, and that's the confidence. The confidence kind of comes after you.
Dare to do those things.
Julana: Yeah. I think, and also being humble. Like I, whenever I do something for the first time, or if I'm in a place that's new, I ask questions and I ask people, like if I'm visiting a new city and I'm lost, I ask everybody. I see, Hey, where is this place? Or if I'm trying a new job, you know?
I don't think there's any shame in asking people if you're doing something for the first time.
Odette: Of course. Yeah, exactly. Trusting that you can do that, that you can just ask. You don't have to know it all. Yes. Which is great. So, um, I wanna ask, I know that you, we haven't talked about your hubby.
Your hubby, uh, Carson, he is also in the entertainment industry. He's an actor. He is actually on days of our Lives, right?
Julana: Yep. He's on his fifth year.
Odette: Wow. That's, that's amazing. So I am a GH fan. I watch General Hospital. I don't watch Days of Our Lives. But,I know that Carson is also doing, right now he's, [00:27:00] he, he does that tour.
He sings on in the band with Wally Wally, which is on general hospital. He's headquarter, Maine. And, um, I've gone to some of those, not Carson's, not the one that Carson's in, but in others. And, um, next time Carson is in town, I will definitely go. Go see 'em. It's really cool. But my question to you is you're both kind of in the same industry and I'm wondering like what is, what is that like, do you find that that's in some ways easier because you kind of understand the industry and you know, like what it entails in terms of like the hours and things like that?
Or do you find that it's more challenging in some ways because you're both kind of have, you know, difficult hours or things like that? What is that like?
Julana: I Overall, I definitely think that it's helpful. I think it's helpful to have a partner that understands the ins and outs of being on set, you know, that understands that you might have to be on set for 12 hours and you won't have your phone, and what that feeling is like because for [00:28:00] example.
I could think if I wasn't in the industry, that he was just on set sitting around most of the day doing nothing. Which sometimes you are. But I also understand that being on set, there is this weird state of limbo that you're always in. 'cause you're always ready to go on stage even though they don't need you.
So it's not really like you're just sitting around doing nothing all day. You, you're kind of in this state of being ready to perform. And I, like I said, I think it's just easier that we both. Get it. Like I know what he's doing. He knows what I'm doing. We understand auditions. We can help each other with auditions. The difficult part is the scheduling sometimes, because we usually get his schedule at 4:00 PM for the following day. And my schedule also, I get lots of last minute things, so. that is another factor that plays into how we manage our work life thing. Um, we are very lucky. We have a very reliable nanny [00:29:00] that works with our schedule and we pretty much have a couple days that we have her set.
Like I said, those are my working days. So for me, I will accept jobs that are within those hours and if it's anything different, then we have to talk about it and see if we can get childcare coverage. So that part is a little bit difficult, but yeah, I think it would be harder to maybe have a partner that didn't understand.
Odette: Yeah, I can see that. I can see that. Um, you're, you both really get the industry so you know what to expect. And I think that's true even for, you know, we, my family, my husband and I always had our own business together and we. It's a 24 hour business, so the hours are kind of crazy, but you feel like you're both in it together, so you understand.
And we made it work, you know, even when the kids were little, like I would just bring them to the shop and we'd have lunch, you know, in our van or whatever. But you, there's an understanding because you both, you get it right. You, you're kind [00:30:00] of in it together. And even though it's, it's not the same as your situation, but I can see how that could be helpful.
Um, just in terms of. I think it's important for partners to just understand each other, even if they don't love the crazy hours or whatever. But to have that, that understanding feels, feels good. And you feel it feels good to be under. I think that's the important thing.
Julana: Yeah. Especially, yeah, especially for actors, because they go through so much and they're scenes, you know?
So sometimes if he's had a very emotional day, I'll know that. He's had a very emotional day. Yeah. He's been dealing out all those emotions all day long. Yeah. Like, okay, you just need to chill. It has nothing to do with me. It's just Right. You convey emotions all day long. Yeah.
Odette: Because even though it's acting, I mean, I know even it's, you really kind of feel a lot of those emotions and it's, you're tapping into those emotions and it's, it's, it's a lot.
It's a lot. You need like a recovery time. Yeah, for sure. [00:31:00] How do you find time to still connect? as a couple just now, also with, also in the new phase of having a child in addition to your careers and, and stuff like that.
Julana: Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, that part's been very difficult. I feel like that's probably normal for very normal parents.
Odette: Mm-hmm.
Julana: It's been hard. We just, you know, you give so much to being a parent to your career and then you're just so tired at the end of the day that like, there's really almost nothing left. Um. We have tried doing like date nights every other week. We just, actually, the other night, it was a Sunday night, we just had wine and sat on the couch and talked for like three hours, which was amazing.
'cause usually we'll just watch a TV show and that's kind of like, eh, we're here but we're not connecting. Right. So we really enjoyed our just wine chat. So I think we're gonna start, start trying to do that more. But um, also we, we take advantage. Our in-laws come and visit a lot and we go there. Um. For [00:32:00] holidays and just like randomly through the year.
So whenever we have our family here, we try to take advantage of that and go on date nights. But yeah, I would say that's probably the most difficult part about being in this New Parenthood era is just, yeah, the figuring out how to find the time and connect with your partner consistently.
Odette: Right. Yeah. I think that, I would say that that's definitely a challenge for, for most parents or most couples, and you have to be creative. I think you have to be creative and kind of redefine how to connect. It'll, it's gonna look different, but it could still be really meaningful. And I think it's about finding small ways, like you did, you guys had wine in conversation just at home.
I mean, it's might look different from how it used to look, but you can still get creative and find small. Meaningful, different ways to connect, but it, it goes back also to like making sure that it's a priority. Mm-hmm. Yeah. [00:33:00] But it's, it's challenging and it's totally normal. I hear you. you talk about embracing everyday magic.
You mentioned that. I really like that phrase. What does everyday magic mean for you or look like for you? Just like, kind of like in your day-to-day life.
Julana: Embracing everyday Magic for me just means like all those little moments, you know, the ordinary moments, the picking oranges, making orange juice, or washing the dishes.
I feel like when you have a small child at home, everything is magical because you're seeing it. Kind of through their eyes and they're helping you and they're excited about everything. So if I'm like, do you wanna go eat a muffin? She's like, yeah, yeah. So exciting a muffin. You know? It just brings this whole new, like, exciting level to everything.
so just little moments like that. Like I try to capture a lot. I do a lot of vlogging and just like content stuff, but I try to just capture [00:34:00] moments where we're just candidly hanging out together, doing nothing, doing. Whatever, tiny moments, you know, gardening or walking outside or just playing with toys.
I guess it's kind of just a version of like, romanticizing your life. I feel like that's been a big theme in the last few years, but just, just doing fun little things for yourself. Like another way I like to think of it as, doing things for your future self. So for example. Sometimes I like to read at night, so I'll go and like turn down my sheets, set my book next to my bed with like a little candle so that I know that it's there so my future self is excited to go and have.
Right. Oh,
Odette: I love that. That's like a little ritual. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it sounds like you're kind of finding magic just in these everyday moments and creating it. Yeah. That's what you're focusing on.
Julana: Yeah.
Odette: So that's what you're getting?
Julana: Yes. I think because I do love to go on big adventures and I love to go to Disneyland and go to the zoos and [00:35:00] go to all the festivals, but I also love being at home and having those ordinary moments, and I do think they're magical.
Like the other day, we made little arts and crafts with her footprints and that was super cute. Just little ordinary things like that.
Odette: Mm-hmm. I love that. I love that. And you know, just in saying that it, that's exactly how you build connection in your relationship too, in those little ordinary moments just at home, like just doing everyday things.
Looking at it as an opportunity to connect in those small little ways. Finding magic just in your pre being really present and grateful and appreciative, just of. The moment, like it's funny, now that my kids are older, we'll be in the kitchen and the five of us will be together. I'll have a moment, you know, and I'll be like, oh my God, this is a perfect moment.
I'm so grateful for this moment right now. Just being present and kind of appreciating the moment is I guess how I'm finding magic in like an everyday moment. [00:36:00] Oh, that's sweet. Yeah.
Julana: I think presence is a big thing for me too. I've really. Focused on that a lot since becoming a mom. Like I don't ever have my phone.
I, if I'm spending time with her, I rarely am checking my phone and I'm okay with that. I'm like. If there's an emergency, I'll know, right. But my emails can wait. Like I, I very rarely are things life or death situations, so I don't have any guilt about not responding to people right away when I'm with my daughter.
And I just try to be very conscious about that. You know, like we do the TV a little bit, but I also think like, oh, it's just screens and stuff. Like, it does kind of take away from. Being in the moment.
Odette: Yeah.
Julana: Wow. That's great that you're able to do that.
Odette: Like just shut off your phone and have that boundary.
Julana: Well, I don't shut it off. I just don't. You just
Odette: don't. Okay. You just keep it on the side.
Julana: Yeah. Or like, if I'm doing stuff, I mean, I, I almost if like, I won't really take phone calls if I'm spending time with her, unless it's family or we're doing FaceTime or something. But I won't [00:37:00] just randomly like pick up the phone and talk to somebody because I just wanna be in that moment with her.
Odette: Yeah. Whatever we're
Julana: doing.
Odette: That's important. I always talk about being president and being intentional with whatever you're doing, and it sounds like what, that's exactly what you're doing. You know, looking back, was there something that you had to kind of unlearn about what success means or what beauty means, or being a woman, something, a belief that you had that you kind of had to unlearn in order to really be. More yourself and really love yourself.
Julana: Hmm. I think one thing that I'm trying to unlearn is that you don't have to do it all.
Odette: Hmm. I
Julana: feel like I always looked up to these women and they were like, they do it all. They have an incredible career and this, and some of them did. Like, I'll give the example, like Reese Witherspoon is one of my idols.
I just think she's an amazing mom. She has this incredible career. She's built this huge like billion dollar company, but. a lot of those women have help, you know, and I think one [00:38:00] thing I'm trying to unlearn is like, I don't have to do it all. I don't have to clean my entire house and do all of my dishes and take care of my child and build my career at the same time and email all the people like you.
You can have people help you with that. You know, you can have, that's why you have, like for us, that's why we have our agents and our managers to like send out pitches and do that stuff and help us with that. Like, you know, we're lucky that we have childcare here to help give me time as a mom so that I can work on some of my goals.
so I think that is one thing, because one thing that used to hold me back a lot is that. I would just make myself busy like I would before I would start doing any of the things that I wanted to do for myself, I would be like, I have to clean the whole house, or I can't get started working until the entire house is clean.
And then by that time, the night would be gone. Yeah. And you're
Odette: exhausted and Yeah, and I,
Julana: so I don't know if that was my own way of like procrastinating, like it's self-sabotage sort of way, but I've had to unlearn that, you know, like whatever you [00:39:00] wanna do, just. Focus on that. Do it first. Kind of like, I call it slay your dragons.
You know, whatever's your priority. Do that. And it's okay if the house is messy, it's okay. If your dishes don't get clean for a night, you'll wake up. Everything will be fine. So I'm really working on that aspect of life. Yeah. Yeah.
Odette: That's great. Yeah. Giving yourself permission to. You don't have to do it all.
And you know what? We never know what's going on behind closed doors. So sometimes people may appear that they, they're doing everything perfectly and maybe some things they're doing perfectly and maybe in other areas they're really not as happy or fulfilled. But, definitely giving yourself permission to decide and prioritize.
What you wanna focus on, and if the dishes aren't clean, who cares? Probably it only bothers you, right? A lot of times it only bothers us. We we're the ones that are like so angry and so upset about it, and no one else, no one's bothered by it. Exactly,
Julana: so it's okay. Yeah. I actually had a moment a couple [00:40:00] days ago where the house was just messy all the time.
You know, there's toys and stuff, and I was really upset about it for a few days, and then I talked to my best friend about it. I vented to her and I was like, you know what? I could choose to just not care.
Odette: Mm-hmm.
Julana: I could just choose to not here, that my house is messy and go to sleep. Yeah. Yeah. And then I went home and I did that, and I woke up and the house was messy.
I was like, oh. Okay. Yeah. And
Odette: I
Julana: thought so much better.
Odette: Yeah. You know what? The fact that the house is messy is really a neutral circumstance. Mm-hmm. Whatever we then make it mean about ourselves is what makes us so upset. So I know for me, like when the house is messy or whatever, I'm like, oh my God, I'm, I mean something about me as a woman or as a mom or as a wife, that I can't keep my house clean or, or, you know, organized or whatever.
But really it's just a neutral circumstance that it's messy.
Julana: Yeah, I agree. I've never heard anyone say that, but I really like that.
Odette: Yeah. Yeah. So
Julana: you project a lot of it somehow related to you?
Odette: Yeah, that's what it is. You know, a lot of our [00:41:00] frustrations are really about what we make it mean about ourselves.
Julana: Hmm.
Odette: And that's what makes us so upset.
Julana: That's really good. I'm gonna
Odette: write
Julana: that
Odette: down.
Julana: Yeah, I'll remember that. Like, what is this saying about myself?
Odette: Yeah. So why am I really upset about this? So, you know, on this, uh, show, it's called Life and Love by Design, and it's all about, you know, intentionally designing the life and the love that you want.
So my final question for you is, what does living life by design mean for you? Now at this stage in your life
Julana: Living life by design for me means just following this vision that I've had for my life and following my intuition to lead me there. Hmm. I feel like I've always had a very clear vision of the woman that I wanna be in the stage of life and the things I wanna do when I become.
You know, mom and where I am in my career right now, [00:42:00] and I feel like in my heart I know how to get there and I know that I will get there. So it's being patient, just going back to the beginning of our conversation, trusting myself, trusting my intuition, and
trusting my gut feelings about the things that I know I wanna do in my life.
Odette: Hmm. And
Julana: being okay, cutting out and saying no to the things I thought I wanted to do, or maybe I used to like to do, but aren't in my vision for the future.
Yeah, trusting yourself. It goes back to, that's such
a big question. I'm like,
Odette: yeah,
Julana: yeah. I guess just that, just, you know, trusting myself to get to this vision.
Odette: Of myself
Julana: that I've had and looking at other women and role models like you, you know, I look up to a lot of moms now and just see how they're living their life. I just wanna be this mom that is like fun, but has this, her own life going on that's interesting and exciting and it's close with her kids.
So that's the point I'm just trying to get to.
Odette: Hmm. [00:43:00] Yeah, I love that. And that's already you. Thanks. It's already you. You are her.
Julana: Thanks. I feel like I've been, yeah, it's been definitely like a whole identity shift once you have a child. Yes. I think, and I've been working really hard at just like all aspects of who I thought I was and who I wanna be and who I am right now.
And I do feel like I'm emerging to the
Odette: spot that I want to be. Beautiful. Beautiful. I love that. I love that. And, and I can, you are an amazing mom. Just in hearing you speak and just in hearing your values and how self-assured you are in yourself, even when I say self-assured, even embracing all of those questions and all of those, you know, wanting to be a certain way and making sure that you're like, that's all a part of it.
And, In the process of creating that identity that you want in the future. Like you're doing it now, like, it's like, it's like a [00:44:00] small evolution, right? Yeah. You're you. It's already, she's already there. Oh, thanks. Inside of you. So, anything else that you wanna share with our audience?
Actually tell us where we can follow you, um, where people can find you if they wanna connect with you.
Julana: Yeah, mostly I'm on Instagram, so my handle's just at Jua, J-U-L-A-N-A. Uh, I also have a, a Travel Wildlife YouTube channel that I'm very passionate about. And that one is, uh, I think it's just my name, Julana Dizon.
Odette: Excellent, excellent. And we will, uh, also put it in the show notes for people to stay connected with you. And I've loved our conversation. I hope that you will come back and talk to me some more in the future and yeah, and um, for our listeners and our viewers, 'cause we're, on video as well. thank you for joining us.
I really hope that you enjoyed this conversation. Please make sure to like it and share it and leave a comment. And [00:45:00] until next time, remember that your life and your love are yours to design.urs to design. [00:48:00]
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